Elemental Magic - Demetri Volturi

Chapter 14

The dungeon is cold. Damp stone presses in from all sides, the air thick with the metallic tang of fear. The heavy iron door looms like a wall of judgment, and the echo of Volturi footsteps fading into the distance leaves nothing but oppressive silence and the heavy weight of inevitability.

Rosalie spins on her heel, slamming her hand against the stone wall. The sound reverberates through the tiny room, but it changes nothing. "This is outrageous!" She hisses, teeth clenched. "After everything we've done, everything we've sacrificed, they lock us up like criminals? Like animals?"

Emmett perches on the edge of the stone bench, elbows on his knees, brows knit in confusion. "Babe...not helping." His voice is low, tight. Even he looks unsettled. His massive hands curl and uncurl as if resisting the urge to punch the wall. "But, yeah...this doesn't make sense. I mean, we did what we had to do."

"Did we?" Jasper finally speaks, voice quiet and analytical as he stares at the floor. He hasn't moved much since they're thrown in here. "We let things escalate too far. The Volturi only act like this when they feel provoked. Or threatened." His golden eyes lift. "And we've been teetering on that line for decades."

Alice's hands tremble. She grips her forearms, fighting to steady herself. "I...I can't see anything." She admits softly, voice tight with frustration. Her visions fail her, leaving her blind in Volterra, powerless when her family needs her most. She glances at Edward and Carlisle, searching for reassurance she doesn't find.

"We broke the agreed timeline. We should have turned Bella months ago. And then we had to deal with a newborn army." Carlisle says firmly, though strain edges his voice. He rubs his forehead, a gesture only appearing when he's deeply troubled. "The Volturi have a right to question us."

"That doesn't give them the right to take her from us!" Edward explodes. He surges to his feet, fists clenched, eyes blazing onyx. "Jane threatened us. And they dragged Bella away like she's some kind of--"

"A protected human under Volturi law." Jasper says sharply. "That's exactly what she is. They wouldn't do anything to her until after our trial."

Edward hisses, jaw flexing. "I need to see her. She's alone. She's terrified--"

"Enough." Carlisle steps between Edward and the reinforced bars of the cell. "Charging out there won't help her. It will only only make the Volturi more ready to destroy us."

Esme reaches for Edward's hand gently. "We'll see her soon, sweetheart. We just need to stay calm."

"Calm?" Rosalie scoffs. "Rosalie Hale does not sit calm in a dungeon."

Emmett pulls her in close despite her snapping and snarling. "Just breathe, babe. We'll get through this."

Edward shakes his head. "We shouldn't be locked up. We didn't do anything wrong."

"Didn't we?" Jasper murmurs, quiet but pointed. "We broke the law. More than one, actually. Multiple times."

The silence that follows is heavy.

Rosalie crosses her arms. "We shouldn't have involved that damn bloodsinger, or any other human in our lives. I told you it would bite us in the ass, but did you listen?" she  sarcastically questions Carlisle then answers her question before he can, "No!"

Carlisle sighs.

Esme looks between them, worry etched into every line of her face. "Do you think they'll hurt Bella?"

Jasper shakes his head slowly. "Not with Logan here."

Rosalie scoffs. "The elemental girl? What's she going to do?"